


Hero of a Different Time

by xilent



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Adventure, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 00:37:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6589606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xilent/pseuds/xilent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hero of Time has yet to give his life a new direction after admitting his failure to find Navi. So when he finds himself at the start of another fight for Hyrule you can't blame him for doing the only thing he knows how. The only thing stopping him, is the fact that there's already another Link on the job. <br/>Time travel is tricky that way <br/>Oot/TP crossover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hero of a Different Time

The Hero of Time was almost home.

No that's not right. He's not a hero. No one would call him that and as much as he loved this kingdom there was nowhere in it he could call home. All of his heroics have been lost through time. His triforce mark had faded. Every friend's memory of his help was erased. Even those who were involved in his quest could only recall a faint feeling of familiarity. The only thing that made his testimony against Ganondorf believable all those years ago.

Princess Zelda had the best memory of them all, but she was still just a child, like him. It was Impa and the guards who had survived his 7 years of absence who helped push for an investigation. As the tip and helpful direction for the search for evidence, Link was able to follow the case up until Ganon's imprisonment and met with the seven sages who would carry out his execution.

They were all unfamiliar faces, save for Rauru. They weren't the sages he knew and fought evil with. They were the ones who would have been killed if Ganon was able to take the triforce. Apparently, his friends won't awaken as sages until they all reached adulthood or when the sacred realm had opened again. And considering one was a Kokiri, that wouldn't happen anytime soon. At least they'd be able to relive their lives normally.

He wouldn't.

There was never a "normal" for him to return to. Not a Kokiri, nor a normal Hylian. It seems everywhere he went he was always the odd one out.

Still, here Link was returning to the kingdom he saved in a forgotten time.

He walked Epona along a path, hands wrapped around the reins, eyes trained at their feet. His mission to find his partner failed. The only one who knew the whole story. Who knew what he had done for thousands of people. It took four years of wandering for him to admit it, but there was no way for him to find her. She was gone. And he was alone.

Epona lifted her head, ears flicking as if she had heard her song echo to her. She seemed to have registered where they were headed as she perked up and pulled him to a faster pace. His horse gave him a tug as if urging him to hurry. He felt a little guilty for pulling her along on his quest. She had obviously missed Hyrule and was happy to be home. Link let his lips curl into a small smile. He stopped and let go of the reins. He gave Epona a gentle pat to go on ahead. There was no need to worry about anyone stealing her. After the events in Termina she showed more distaste for anyone other than her master coming near here and with her speed she would find herself in her old stable within minutes. Epona turned her head and gave him a nod before galloping forward.

At least one of them was happy.

Link stood listening to her steps get fainter and fainter as she got farther away. What did he hope to find by coming back here? Epona was on her way home and as soon as he could sneak in through the castle gardens he would return the ocarina of time to Zelda...Then what?

All of his friends had their own lives to attend to and he didn't even know where to start if he were to make one for himself.

Was he going to stop petty crimes? Redo the temples? Settle into a quiet life?

All of those options seemed boring and bland to him but they were the only ones available. There was a little reward for stopping crimes. A possibility of combat for one. Though no petty criminal could match him in skill, it could provide a few funny stories to share with Zelda whenever he managed to sneak in and talk to her. That, combined with her dreams of the other timeline, was bound to keep a conversation going.

Redoing the temples and dungeons might be fun. Might be too easy since he had beat them once before and had a few items from Termina to jumpstart the exploration. However, it was the biggest thrill he could hope for in a peaceful kingdom.

As for foregoing his adventurous lifestyle and settling down with someone? Well, there was someone he was kind of fond of. One who would welcome his return with open arms. She was probably reuniting with Epona right now. She was someone he wouldn't mind being with, though the thought of romance was still weird to him.

Maybe it was the time travel but he never understood how people could feel that way towards other people. These couples hardly spend enough time with each other and they're already picturing their life together? But just because he stayed away from romance didn't mean it stayed away from him. Even when the world was swirling with chaos there were many who had spent time and energy to try and pursue a relationship with him. And that pattern only continued as he aged in his travels. They'd stutter, trip over their own feet, generally be distracted from their own lives. It had puzzled him then and it puzzled him now. Even with Navi's explanations, he had never understood their behavior. It was like he was missing something the whole world had and understood. With that in mind, was it really fair to get in a relationship when he can only mirror their affections?

Link leaned on the tree next to him. Becoming a hero had changed his life, but now that he couldn't be one anymore, he had no idea what to do with it.

He slipped his hand into his enchanted pouch and pulled out the ocarina. If he hadn't played the song of time and opened the sacred realm would things be different? If Zelda hadn't given him this instrument would Ganondorf still have taken over? He wouldn't have been sealed for seven years that's for sure. Might have had to play keep away with the stones and ocarina for those years instead but at least he'd live a life of heroics for that time.

Link turned the cold ceramic around in his hands.

He wanted to do that again. More than anything in the world he wanted to feel complete again. With a purpose. With a goal. With the people who remembered him and not the ghosts of those who did.

Could he go back? Could he have that fate instead?

No. That would put people of Hyrule be in danger.

For him to put them back in peril for the sole purpose of him to play hero would be selfish and as he had displayed in both Hyrule and Termina, he was nearly always, selfless. The former hero sighed. His fingers traced the instrument absently, the familiar sapphire blue color glistening in his hands. He was about to start back towards Hyrule when his fingertips felt a crack on the smooth surface. He lifted his hand.

He knew for a fact that that wasn't there before.

Link had taken very good care of the ocarina since Termina. He wanted the sacred instrument to be in perfect condition when he returned it and he had done an excellent job of that, until now. He brought the ocarina closer to him as he examined it. It seemed that the imperfection was only getting larger and–if he was not mistaken-glowing. His curiosity and concern grew as more cracks began to form.

So many of the glowing fracture littered the surface that it looked more cyan than dark blue. He was sure one good blow to his borrowed instrument would shatter it.

And he couldn't let that happen.

What would he tell Zelda? The was the only one who had the slightest idea of what happened to him. Link held tightly onto the ocarina as if his grip could somehow hold the thing together. It didn't break to his grip. In fact, as he held onto it, he could have sworn he felt the shifting and breaking happen from inside

He didn’t have the time to think how that was possible. When his hand shifted, even if it was just a little, a force burst through he ocarina. The sound of a struck crystal resounded in his ear. The instrument completely bright blue and burning in his hands. Light, and whatever magic behind it, engulfed him. For a moment he couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet and soon-

-Nothing at all.

Link woke up, slumped up against a tree. The sound of grass rustling beside him pulled him into consciousness. He couldn't help but frown as the circumstances made him think of the last time he was knocked out unexpectedly. The fact that someone was holding his ocarina, another shining similarity, wasn't helping. Not wanting this to be the start of another three day cycle, he willed himself to act even though his vision wasn't fully cleared.

"GAh!" The person connected to the arm he grabbed screamed.

They tried to pull their arm free but he held onto them until his vision cleared. When it did, he saw that the person with his instrument was not another skill kid but a girl. She looked a little younger than him and had a large traveling pack on her back. Her face betrayed a mix of surprise and panic. Being grabbed out of no where would surprise anyone.

Still, he kept his grip on her arm. She had his ocarina.

"This isn't yours." He said looking up at her. He held out his other hand and let out a heavy breath. It felt like he was holding that breath forever.

The girl wordlessly dropped the ocarina into his hand. He let her arm go and she gladly drew it closer to her as she increased their distance. The ocarina wasn't broken but it was still that bright shade of blue. Link stood up and dusted the dirt off himself.

The sky was darker than it was when he was knocked out. It seemed like night was approaching, so unless he wanted to sleep the same way he did on his travels, he better get to a town before the sun sets. Problem was, he couldn't remember which direction led to Hyrule. He blamed that momentary lapse of consciousness. The path looked different too but that was probably the light messing with him.

Link looked at the girl.

She didn't look like a normal Hylian. Besides being pale and sporting different fashion, her hair wasn't the normal blonde or light brown. It was black. Her abnormally colored hair was covering her ears so either she had short but pointed ears or had those weird rounded ones. Judging by those combined features, he concluded that she was either on her way to visit Hyrule or just finished her visit.

Strange for her to be traveling on her own though. Normal people his age didn't go out on solo travels. Then again the kingdom was at peace so the scrawny girl wasn't likely to run into any trouble.

The girl was staring at him tight lipped and concerned. She looked alarmed and seemed like her mind was racing with thoughts. Normally he would have taken time to calm her but after that forced nap from the ocarina he wanted to give his back something to sleep on other than a tree or rock. Whatever she was thinking of was not of his concern. He just needed directions.

"Hey," She flinched when he spoke. "Which way to Hyrule?" He asked, looking at the two ways the path lead.

The girl took a few steps back along the path and slowly rose he hand to point in the opposite direction.

"Th-that way." Her eyes were still trained on him. They just met and she was stuttering? She was still staring at him too. Link let out a breath. When will this ever end? When he's old and grey?

"Thanks." He replied, giving the girl a nod and a polite smile before going on his way. He didn't want to deal with any more offers to accompany him or to show him around town. Hyrule couldn't have changed that much for him to need a guide.

Except, as he walked along the road, it seemed it did.

The path leading to Hyrule was winder than he remembered. The trees didn't look like the same type and there was much more small plants littering the sides, plants he wasn't familiar with. Which is a big deal for someone who had lived and grew up in a forest. Was this the same path he took when he left all those years ago? Maybe they made a new one? But this path was old enough to have nature try to take it back. Already the road was getting narrower and narrower as the grass overtook it.

Weird.

The path soon disappeared but he could already tell that Hyrule has most definitely changed. First of all there was a giant chasm to his left and what seemed to be perpetual darkness to his right. Both of which was not there when he left it.

He walked forward and found himself at a ledge. There was a heavily defined road below him should he choose to jump, but there seemed to have no way to get back up. One direction led and disappeared into the dark wall and the other led to a bridge stretching across the chasm. A spark of excitement appeared in him as he sensed the beginning of an adventure. A giant wall of what felt like dark magic appears as the sun sets and the hero of time just so happened to return. What else could this all mean?

He should be ashamed. He really should. The kingdom's peace was broken. People's lives were going to be in danger. But he couldn't help his smile when he realized he could go on an actual adventure again. He'll feel ashamed later. For now he must resume his role as hero.

Link switched gears. His eyes darted across his surroundings.

There wasn't much else he could tell about the black wall other than exuded powerful magic. While he could use magic, he wasn't well versed in it's nature and couldn't tell what the golden glowing markings on the wall meant. That left the bridge and where it led. Link narrowed his eyes at the structure. The gate on the other side was smashed.

That didn't look good.

Link started to move when a loud horn resounded from the other side of the bridge. It sounded twice and something dark materialized in the sky. He didn't have time to try and figure out what it was. Shortly after it appeared, several large boars with riders raced out of the broken gate. Some carried unconscious children. He took out his bow. There were five monsters carrying a hostage, two lagged behind them and one particularly large one was leading the group. That one was obviously the leader and didn't look like he'd be easy to take down.

There wasn't much space to on the road below him so it would be difficult to fight. That means he would have to shoot them down. First priority, the five kidnappers.

He could easily shoot the monsters while they were on the bridge but they might drop the kids into the chasm. There was some normal ground before the dark wall. At this speed they would get to the end of the bridge and to the wall of darkness in about ten seconds. There's no telling what will happen when they reach the wall so he better not take that chance. If he really tried, he could fire an arrow every second. Making sure each of them hit their mark extends it to two. If he misses or takes to long to draw, the might not be able to rescue them all. Again, he should be ashamed at how this excited him. He should be sad danger has returned. Devastated the peace he fought for was gone.

But again, he pushed away that guilt. He couldn't feel guilty and shoot straight at the same time.

Link took a steady breath as he took out his bow and aimed at the first kidnapper trailing behind the leader. The boar had just made it onto solid ground when-

"Hey!"

Link flinched. The reaction made the arrow flop off his bow and fall uselessly to the ground. He turned abruptly around and saw the black haired girl running towards him. What was she doing here?

Wait.

No.

What about the kids?!

Link hurriedly turned his attention back to the road. Half the boars had disappeared, into the dark no doubt. He quickly drew another arrow.

He still had a chance to save two of the children. He fired two arrows but in his hurry they missed their mark. One imbedded itself into a boar and the other knocked the quiver off of a monster. The two intended targets glanced up at him. Link was shaking with shock. He had missed. He had failed.

The monsters grunted and spurred their steads forward to avoid any more of this meddler's arrows. Link grit his teeth and drew another arrow. He could hear the girl getting closer, yelling something to him but he tuned her out. He shot one of the monsters in their chest before they disappeared into the dark wall. He was about to jump off the ledge and follow them in if the girl hadn't pulled him back. Link struggled against her but his haste made him sloppy. She was able to use her weight to tear him away. She slipped and fell to the ground and dragged him down with her. She sat up in the grass and continued her babbling.

"What are you doing?!" She shouted at him, alarmed.

"Some people just got kidnapped!"

"And what do you hope to do about it? You don't know what that thing is. You don't know how to deal with it." She gestured wildly to the dark wall.

"I can't just do nothing."

"All you can do is nothing! They'll be fine. But I can't say the same for us if we don't get out of here." She looked around worriedly. She bit her lip. "Look, I know you must be worried, but trust me, whoever was kidnapped will be okay. There's still enough time to leave the kingdom before things really get messy, so just follow me and-"

"-Those kids need help!" Link pushed her away and attempted to jump from the ledge. The girl grabbed his arm.

"They'll get help." She sounded so sure of herself and that confused him.

"From who?!"

"The hero. Link." The girl pointed towards the bridge where a teen ran across. Link's eyes widened as the boy got to the end of the bridge.

He was older than him, had dirty blond hair, shorter ears and a stronger build, but the boy she just called Link was so much like him. The older Link stopped just before the wall. It was glowing a bit brighter as he approached it. He looked distraught and anxious. The names of those who were taken rang out in his troubled voice, but Link couldn't even tell what he was saying. He just stood there, eyes transfixed on his look alike. It was only after the other Link had gotten pulled into the dark wall was Link's attention and shock pulled away.

He backed up, feeling dizzy all of a sudden.

His left hand started to burn and the faded mark of the triforce appeared once again. For a moment he could tell what was going on on the other side.

The other Link's soul felt like it was trying to be ripped out by the dark magic surrounding him, suffocating him. The triforce of courage helped him fight it off but in turn the younger Link felt weaker. He could tell the other Link was struggling too as he felt both the magic shoot through him and the grass beneath his hands as he fell to his knees. How strange it was, to be one place but also be in another.

"Are... Are you okay?" He blinked. His eyes refocused to what was actually in front of him and not of the other incarnation. The girl was beside him, her hand hovering in the air. She still looked concerned but was glancing in the direction she had came from.

The connection between them waned and Link could no longer feel what the other had. It seemed that the triforce and the dark magic had reached a compromise as he felt both swirling calmly in the other Link. 

His mark was faint again, although, not as much as it was before. Still, it had confirmed what the girl had said.

That boy was Link. He had the spirt of the hero, just like him. That Link is supposed to be the one who saves his home, his kingdom.

But if that's true...

What was he doing here? While Link was thinking this, it seems the girl had just wrapped up the thoughts in her mind as well.

"Listen... If you don't want to take my warning, then I won't give it to you anymore. I tried. My conscious can't complain anymore so go ahead and take your chances staying here." She sighed and started to get up.

Link pulled her back to face him. She knew something.

"What's going on?"

**Author's Note:**

> This is my third time writing this story XD  
> I hope you like it


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